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Oliver Milverton
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Further
Initial
Contents Introduction 04 Initial Brief 06 Initial Research 07 Feeding Position 14 Health 17 Behaviour 18 I’Ansons Feed 20 Revised Brief 22 Livestock & Forage Production 24 Observations 26 Racing Stables 28 Edinburgh Zoo 30 Major Project Brief & Plan 32 Initial Ideas 34
Finalising
Idea
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Introduction Feeding horses is a huge business in Great Britain. There are 1.3 million horses and on average to keep one horse it costs £40-£45 per month for forage, and £40 for other foodstuffs – and this cost is increasing. Current customary ways of feeding forage-based products to horses are wasteful and in many cases bad for the animals themselves.
Personal My family have always kept horses and we have had a variety of different horses/ponies over the years, from the little ponies my sister and I rode at Pony Club to the Irish hunter my sister currently has. The are a few key reasons why I chose this subject – Firstly it’s an area of particular interest to me as I have first hand experience of some of the issues faced. I also have a number of contacts in the equine world I can take advantage of, and a keen interest in rural activities as a whole.
Using this document:
What … is it? Why ... was it done? How ... was it done? And ... what was the result? Box used for personal reflections and learning outcomes.
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Plan To manage the available time a plan was made at the beginning of the project taking into account what needed to be covered and the time available.
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Major
Finalising Idea
Idea Development
Further Research
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Initial Research
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Initial Research – Feeding horses is quite a large subject area, so the first important thing to do was to discover as much as possible about the topic. Further Research – Once I have identified a clear direction I would be able to do more in depth research into this area/s. Idea Development – Develop through iterative processes a range of possible solutions for the chosen issue. Finalising Idea – Finalise direction to a point where a product specification can be written.
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Initial Brief Investigate the feeding of horses in order to discover any issues faced by the horse or owner. This will cover all aspects of feeding from storage to the feeding of forage and supplement feeds, and issues faced when grazing and watering.
What
The overall aim is to design a product which will improve the way horses are fed. In order to come up with a concept, key issues will first have to be identified.
Why
Initially this will be done by talking to people involved in the care of horses, whether they be privately owned or livery kept. Online research and surveys will also be undertaken.
How
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Initial Research The aims of this part of the project were to gain the core knowledge needed to identify a clear direction in which to head. The plan was to talk to a number of riders and horse owners to discover what issues they faced with feeding their horses, when interviewing people the form bellow was used to gain consent and to inform them of the project.
What
Informed consent for exploration project:
Researcher: Oliver Milverton Phone: 07749216863 Email: oliver.milverton@northumbria.ac.uk I am an undergraduate student currently in the final year of a Design for Industry course at Northumbria University. Project tutor: Simon Scott-‐Harden Email: simon.scott-‐harden@northumbria.ac.uk About this research:
This is a research project about the feeding of horses. If possible I would like to record this discussion for future reference. The recording will only be used personal use within the project, but some quotes may be used for the final presentation. The recording will be deleted after the project. I would also like to take pictures of your stables/field (if applicable) to visually represent any areas discussed. Please initial bellow beside the areas that you are happy with: I consent to an audio recording being taken, and any quotes taken from it to be used in the presentation of this project Initial………………………….. I consent to being referenced in the presentation of this project. (If not you will be kept anonyms). Initial………………………….. I consent to pictures being taken of my stables and property to by used in the context of this project. Initial………………………….. By signing and dating below, you indicate that you fully understand the above information and agree to participate in this study on this basis: 7
Kay Whitehouse enjoys breaking in horses and has done it for professional show jumpers. Kay herself competes at show jumping and dressage and has currently got seven horses.
Olympic Rider - Wishes to remain anonymous.
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Alice Milverton has hunted from an early age and has ridden in India and South Africa. She is currently manager of the Edinburgh University Polo Club, and also rides out for an ex-Olympic event rider.
Eleanor Mercer has ridden all her life and is a regular competitor at BE events at all levels. As well as competing she also enjoys teaching riders of all ages and abilities, and keeping a livery yard.
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Other contacts used Jan Darwin – Equestrian. Livery and schooling. Warwick Bailey – Pig farmer and Master of the West of Yore Hunt. Field House – Livery and equine shop. Katriana Moorwood - Ex Event and Dressage Rider. Mairi Hunt - Farmer and rider.
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Existing Products
Product Story
Using the interviews as a base a wider range of existing products were explored and comparatively analysed using online reviews and forums.
How
To get a good idea of what products are on the market, and their issues.
Why
From doing this gaps in the market were identified, highlighted by the issues with existing products.
And
1 - 2: Take hay net and loosen drawstring. 3 - 5: Fill net with desired amount of hay. 6: Once full pull drawstring to close. 7: To hang, thread drawstring though hanger and hoist up. This is normally a ring attached to the wall; in this case it’s the bars in the stable. 8 - 9: Pick a point on the hay net between the centre and the bottom to tie off. Make sure the horse cant undo the knot. 10: Hanging hay net, ready for the horse. Bellow are two ways to tie up a hay net as shown in the Pony Club manual of horsemanship, I have used the one on the right.
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Hay Pillow
Hay Bag There are a number of different versions of hay bags but the basic design is very similar throughout. Some have gauze or netting at the front while others, like this one, are open.
Cost: Hay bags cost in the region of £10.00. Safety: Needs to be hung up high to prevent horse getting caught in the hole. Waste: “They were good because they didn’t waste as much hay, but the gauze at the front splits quite easily.” - Jan Darwin. More hay would be wasted out of the hay bags without gauze.
Hay Pillows are an American range of hay feeders, there are hanging versions that are similar to hay nets but the ‘flagship’ product is a pillow-shaped ground feeder for use outdoors.
Cost: Standard Hay Pillows cost $69.99, about £43.00. Height: It is preferable for horse’s health to eat in a natural grazing position with their head down; these Hay Pillows are one of the few hay feeders that allow for on ground feeding.
Safety: There is a warning on the Hay Pillow web page saying - “Do not use the
Hay Pillow on the ground if your horse is shod”, this is because the horses shoes can get caught, even in the small netting. This applies to any hay net.
Image available at: tackwholesale.com/nylon-bags-large-with-ring-derby-originals-p-144.html (Accessed: 16 Dec 2013)
Image available at: thehaypillow.com (Accessed: 16 Dec 2013)
Hay - Products Overview Cost / Waste
Feeding Height / Popularity
Hay Hutch
Feeding Height
Cost
These graphs are to give a rough comparison between the different products that are available. rough because the waste caused varies from horse to horse and is also dependant on the version of product. Here you can see that the more costly products create less waste, this is probably because there is more to these products, such as minimal waste and correct feeding height to justify the extra cost.
Hay Bar
75% of the respondents to the online survey said they knew it is preferable to feed horses on the ground and always do, and this graph represents this with the higher feeding products being least popular, but the exception to this is the hay net. Hay nets are so popular because they are simple to use, low cost and can help to reduce the amount of wastage.
Hay Rack
Hay Bag
Hay Pillow Hay Nets Manger / Trough Hay Bar
Hay Nets Hay Bag
Manger / Trough
Hay Hutch Hay Pillow
On the ground Waste
On the ground Popularity
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Paul Waudby is an equine dentist - He was very useful and spoke in detail about many different issues caused by feeding at a height. He also spoke about other related issues such as digestion and diseases.
Liz Harris is an animal therapist who uses treatments such as McTimoney, massage and laser. She was also very useful and spoke about a range of muscle, skeletal and conformation problems that can be caused by feeding position, and some existing products.
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Feeding Position
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Although Paul was very interested in this project and happy to help D AV he was also very busy. I spoke to him briefly on the phone when I firstMobile eIqD WA R R E N u 3 6 1 ine dentistry, D contacted him but I didn’t get to interview him properly till about a month c .6 after. From this I learned not too expect people to be able to talk at a 4 5 . 5 1 0 moments notice. T A lot of web pages about feeding height and the problems caused were also consulted.
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Feeding Position Summery Why
Paul and Liz not only confirmed the initial research, but also highlighted why it is an issue and how it causes damage.
And
Knowing this means the feeder can be designed with the causes in mind rather then just the issues.
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Dr Emma Creighton is program director of MSc Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare at Newcastle. Her main research interests are human-animal interactions and the welfare of companion animal species.
Emma is an expert in this field and I could have learnt a lot from her if I had been more prepared and asked the right questions, but unfortunately it was bit of a wasted opportunity. Because Emma mainly works from home I had to conduct the interview over the phone. To record this (with her permission) I put the phone on loudspeaker and placed my Dictaphone next to it, this resulted in a very unclear recording that was very hard to transcribe, some of it couldn’t be heard at all. Learning outcome here is to test all equipment ahead of time. I did resolve to have a follow up interview once I had done some further research (including reading some of her papers online), but this is something that I neglected to do.
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Behaviour
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I’ Ansons Feed What
I’Ansons is one of the lead feed manufactures in the country for both horse and livestock feed.
By this point the direction was leaning more towards a forage feeding device but before the final decision was made it was important to be well informed in all areas so that an informed decision could be made.
Why
The visit was informative and a lot was learnt about the production of different feeds, unfortunately this did not lead to any key insights or ideas, so it was decided to concentrate on a forage feeder.
And
The main thing I learnt from visiting I’Ansons is to be persistent; it took about a week of calling and emailing alternatively before I managed to arrange a visit with Will I’Aanson, who was happy to help.
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Revised Brief Design a feeder for forage. This feeder must be low to the ground for the health of the horse, safe for the horse to use (no netting or holes that the horse can get caught in) and strive to reduce wastage as much as possible without compromising the first two points.
What
Through this research it has been found that most of the issues that surround the feeding of horses are with the feeding of forage.
Why
Further research into the subject area and testing feeding techniques and methods will be conducted before starting the development of the product itself.
How
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Simon Pike is the manager of Hornby Park that farms cattle and deer (has one of the largest deer herds in Europe). They also produce their own hay and silage so he was a useful person to talk to about both areas.
Gillian Butler was particularly useful as she has worked with farmers in the NE for over 30 years, mainly offering advice to livestock producers on feeding and forage. She is also a senior lecturer at Newcastle University.
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Livestock & Forage Production What
Simon and Gillian covered two areas that are both related to this project; the production of forage and the feeding of livestock.
The feeding of livestock was investigated because they are fed a similar diet to horses so there might be some useful insights in how they are fed or issues that are faced. It had been decided to concentrate on forage by this point so it was important to fully understand the production process, any issues faced and the points at which an intervention could be made.
Why
And
The ground getting poached (muddy) is an issue that has been raised for both horses and livestock. Designing something to combat this problem directly was considered at this point, but there is little that can be done for an issue like this. But any product designed for use outdoors should take this into account and be made to accommodate it.
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Observations What
Several hours were spent observing Drummer (sisters horse) in different circumstances to see how he eats.
This design cant rest solely on what has been discovered on the Internet or from different individuals. It’s important to observe first hand what this product is being designed for.
Why
Hay nets were placed at different heights to observe the differences in how this affects eating. A hay post was also placed in his paddock to see what height Drummer would choose to eat from.
How And
Most of the findings from this supported the research done in regards to height. How wastage is caused was also observed.
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Racing Stables Philip Kirby racing yards is one of several racing yards in Middleham, Philip was away racing during my visit but the assistant trainer, Simon, was there and happy to help.
What
As racing yards have a lot of horses that spend a good part of time stabled, it stands to reason that they are going to be more aware of any issues feeding.
Why
They use hay nets at racing yards and many people have said filling hay nets is time consuming, so filling over 100 must be quite a chore. When designing the feeder this should be taken into account.
And
All of the research I had done this far supported several key issues, but Simon didn’t think there were any issues. There is always someone who thinks differently, prepare for it.
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Edinburgh Zoo What
A visit was made to Edinburgh Zoo to talk to the hoof stock keepers about how and what the animals are fed.
It was very difficult getting to visit a zoo as they assume it’s a scientific investigation that is being conducted which can take months to be approved. Edinburgh is just one zoo out of several that was contacted via alternate calls and emails and although it took a long time a visit was eventually organised.
How
Why
To identify any similarities between the feeding of horses and other hoof stock and how the key issues or insights could relate.
On the whole the hoof stock are fed via the same methods used for horses. Unfortunately, although informative, no valuable insights were gained from the visit.
And
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Major Project Brief & Plan Design and build a product for the feeding of forage. This feeder must be a ground-feeding device with a focus on all aspects of safety and waste reduction.
What
The feeder will be designed though iterative sketching and model making. Throughout the development my collaborators will be consulted regularly to keep the design on track with something that would appeal to the target market.
How
Major Pro Start 06th Jan
13th Jan
ExploraMon
20th Jan
27th Jan
03rd Feb
Design Development
10th Feb
17th Feb
24th Feb
03rd Mar 10th M
Testing development models
Find manufa collaborator Further research into short chop forage
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Development of short chop system or/and product
oject Plan
TopSpec Mar 17th Mar 24th Mar 31st Mar TopSpec Feedback
acturer / r
7th Apr
Easter 14th Apr
21st Apr
Finish Design … unable to Prepare to make myself
Send to manufacurer / make myself Present work
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28th Apr
Finish 05th May 12th May
Initial Ideas
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This is the first model made in the development of this product. The only thing learnt from this is that small-scale models are not useful when designing a performance product that requires testing. Drummer found it hard to eat from this, slots are too small and as they are on the side rather than the top it would roil away from him.
1
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2
Tested hanging up and on the ground - easy to eat from but too flimsy.
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3
Too hard to eat from, Drummer got frustrated and kicked it.
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4
Too stiff, did no collapse easily.
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5
Mechanism did not work.
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6
There are many issues with this idea such as small volume and the complex mechanism used. The reason why there are no images of this in use is its so light it was chucked around by Drummer and so removed for his safety.
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8
Concept developed using insights from first three ideas.
Tricky to fill with small hole and rope in the way, bar was tried but was no easier.
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Worked very well when testing. Feedback from Eleanor, Jan and Kay was mainly about the issues of filling.
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